Parent Perusals

Special Education Edition

Parent Perusals

Special Education Edition

A Note from Kimberly

This edition of Parent Perusals focuses on resources and information specific for families that have or work with children receiving special education services.

I have been in the special education field for 20 years (gosh as I type that number it doesn't seem that long!) I taught in public schools as a special educator for 11 of those 20 years and continue my work in special education now in supporting parents/families/professionals here at ESC-20.

There are so many great resources out there for parents/families/caregivers and students that receive special education services. SO much more than what I knew about 20 years ago.

In this special edition of Parent Perusals, I want to share and highlight some of those great resources and offer some information to support you in your journey.

The Family Engagement and Special Education Department here at ESC-20 is committed and focused on being the definitive choice for educational services, products, information and solutions for parents, caregivers, and families.

In case you do not know, one of our special education specialists here at ESC-20 takes parent calls every day. We do not serve as advocates that attend meetings with you. We strive to help answer questions and provide correct information to help you better support your child in school. So, if you have questions, concerns or an issue you are wondering about, give us a call!

Check out ESC-20's Special Education Resources

Upcoming Training at ESC-20

Coming up at ESC-20: Pathways to Adulthood

When

Wednesday, Feb. 13th, 9:30am-2:30pm

Where

1314 Hines

San Antonio, TX

More information

Pathways to Adulthood is a FREE one-day seminar that will provide families and professionals with the information and tools needed to plan for a young adult's life after high school. It is open to families whose children have a disability, chronic illness or other special healthcare needs and the professionals who work with them.

Contact your District Special Education Department to Find Out How They are Supporting Parents to Attend!

Parent Coordination Network

The Parent Coordination Network is committed to ensuring that parents of students with disabilities receive accurate and timely information to assist in making informed choices in their children's education.

Check out January's SHOUT OUT! which share some additional information to help you navigate the special education process with your child.

Partners Resource Network TEAM Project is one of three Texas Parent Training and Information Centers (PTIs) funded through the Department of Education.

Upcoming PRN & TEA Webinar Series

Partners Resource Network is doing a series of collaborative webinars with the Texas Education Agency. The first webinar on January 29 covers the Special Education Statewide Leadership Networks. It will be conducted in English at 12:15 p.m. CST and in Spanish @ 1:15 p.m. CST. To register, click here.

During these webinars, TEA will do a Q&A section based on questions submitted prior to each collaborative webinar. Please submit your questions even if they are not directly related to the pre-determined topics of the currently planned webinars. Submit your questions by clicking here. After each webinar, the resulting Q&A will be provided in a document form in both English and Spanish.

The full listing of dates and topics for the collaborative webinar series are included in the printable flyer attached below.

If you have questions about the statewide or collaborative webinar series, please contact Meagan Sanders at msandersprn@sbcglobal.net.

ARD Buddy - A Padlet from Region 12 ESC

Welcome to ARD Buddy, the Positive Participation Platform. This Dashboard is designed to demystify the ARD Process, empower the ARD Committee Members, and amplify State and Regional Special Education Resources. Initially iterated as a tool for ARD Committee members to quickly locate SPED Resources from around the Great State of Texas, it also serves to personalize professional development and increase organizational capacity by supporting the flow of information more efficiently throughout communities, schools, and systems.

If you would like to access this information on your smartphone, download the free “Padlet” app in the app store and scan the QR Code with the QR scanner in the app. When you “like” the Dashboard in Padlet, it will save the Dashboard in your Padlet App. For the Dashboards to show up in your “liked” section of the Padlet App you will need to refresh the App by closing it and reopening it.

If you find these products helpful, please consider taking the survey on the front page of each dashboard. They take about 30 seconds to complete, and your feedback is needed for continued improvements. Remember, information is meant to flow through us not to us so don’t forget to share ARD Buddy with colleagues and friends.

For additional information or further questions, contact John Bullion, Special Education Liaison for ESC Region 12.

If you're up for a drive to Houston, this is a great conference to attend! This conference is designed for families, mental health professionals, educators, and adults with ADHD and comorbid conditions.

A grant has been received that is jointly provided by ADDA-SR and the Texas Planning Council for Developmental Disabilities. This grant provides consumer stipends to attend the 31st Annual ADDA-SR Conference, Leading the Way in ADHD and Comorbid Conditions to be held 2/9/19 in Houston, TX/

Stipends are provided to first-time annual conference attendees who are Texas residents. Stipends are available to cover registration and in some cases, lodging.

There are a limited number of hotel rooms available for those that live out of town. The hotel rooms are given first to those that will be double occupancy. Stipends only cover the food served at the conference.

This website is especially for families and parents of children with disabilities or special health-care needs and is designed to offer support, inspiration, resources, and links to services available.